New data shows mixed iPhone performance across the world

New data provided by Kantar shows that iPhone performance in the three months ending September 2018 is mixed in the largest markets across the world.

While sales in the United States have increased, mostly thanks to the iPhone 8, the device declined substantially in Europe, with major drops in nearly every country.

iPhone sales improved by 5 percent in the US, while Android dropped 4 percent in the same market. However, Google’s mobile operating system posted a significant gain in Europe, with a 2.3 percent increase overall in EU5 (Germany, UK, France, Italy, and Spain) versus a 1.6 percent drop for iPhones.

Apple sales went down no less than 4.1 percent in Spain, while Android jumped 3.6 percent to reach a sales share of no less than 92.1 percent. Kantar says it’s all thanks to Chinese Android device manufacturers who have recorded record sales in the European market.

“Huawei is one manufacturer making significant steps in the right direction – six months on from the launch of its P20 series it has consolidated its position as the second best-selling brand in Europe behind Samsung. Xiaomi is continuing to expand rapidly in Spain and, more recently, in Italy and France,” Dominic Sunnebo, Global Director for Kantar Worldpanel ComTech.

New iPhones to boost sales

Apple has no rival in the US, and it’s expected that the arrival of new iPhones would help fuel the company’s continued growth here.

“Healthy early sales of iPhone XS and iPhone XS Max models in the States are good news for Apple. Combined with the continued strong momentum we’re seeing among its iPhone 8 and 8 Plus, these sales have contributed to a 5.0 percentage point increase in OS share for Apple in the US – the biggest gain seen worldwide this quarter. iPhone 8 was the top selling model in the US over the quarter, with a 9.4% share of the handset market, and with iPhone XR launching outside this period we’d expect Apple share to tick up further towards the end of the year,” Sunnebo continued.

Samsung Galaxy S9 was the best-selling model in Europe in September, with the Galaxy Note 9 also making the top 10 for the first time.